Dust separating device



Feb. 20, 1968 R. s. FARR DUST SEP ARATING DEVICE 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 28, 1964 FIG-J0. 29 111 INVENTOR. fl/CHA/QD 5. 5 4?? ATTOR/VfVi Feb. 20, 1968 R s. FARR DUST SEPARATING DEVICE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 FiledFeb. 28, 1964 Era-r Feb. 20, 1968 R. s. FARR 3,369,349

DUST SEPARATING DEVICE Filed Feb. 28, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. R/CA ARO .5? 54A? Feb. 20, 1968 R. S. FARR DUST SEPARATING DEVICE 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Feb. 28, 1964 ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,369,349 DUST SEPARATING DEVICE Richard S. Farr, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor to Fair Company, El Segundo, Calif., a corporation of California Filed Feb. 28, 1964, Ser. No. 348,158 Claims. (Cl. 55-442) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A construction for an inertial type dust separating apparatus having a panel of vanes forming directionreversing passageways wherein each vane has a generally U-shaped cross section with slightly diverging skirt or end portions and integral spacer tabs formed in the skirt portions to engage and space each vane from the next vane. The spacer tabs of the vanes are aligned to form a plane along which the vanes are welded together to assemble them as the panel.

This invention relates to a device for separating and removing foreign particles or dust from air or other gaseous fluids at relatively high rates by means of inertial separation action and, in particular, is directed to an improved and unique construction of such a device which is less costly without loss of effectiveness.

The presence of particulate matter in air or other gases that are used for various purposes such as in industrial process and equipment is often objectionable for such uses and, therefore, the need for removing such particulate matter from the air or gases has become well recognized. For example, air contaminated by dust during an industrial process must be cleansed or filtered in some manner before the air is discharged to atmosphere in order to prevent undue pollution of the outdoor air. Another example is the well-known need for removing dust from the intake air to an internal combustion engine to prevent excessive wear or damage to the engine or other similar types of devices ingesting air during operation and this need for dust removal becomes particularly acute for earth moving equipment due to the high dust concentration present in the air, In response to such needs, various types of dust-separating devices have been developed including those employing the principles of inertial separation by sharply changing the direction of air or gas flow to cause the particulate matter to continue in the original direction of flow thereby removing the par ticulate matter from the air flowing in such sharply changed direction. Certain of these inertial separation type devices utilize a bleed-01f arrangement whereby a small portion of the influent air or gas to the device is continually bled-oif from that portion of the device where the particulate matter is at its higest concentration and in this manner the device is essentially self-cleaning.

Some of the many types of devices employing this inertia] separation principle use curved or straight panels extending in the general direction of air flow with multiple lateral passageways through such panels of such a shape as to allow gas flow therethrough and exclude particulate matter by reason of the abrupt change in disection of gas flow. One such device is comprised of a pair of panels arranged in converging relationship to form a V-shaped cell with the air flow in the direction of convergence. When such device is of the bleed-01f type, a slot is provided at the base or apex of the V and the particulate matter passes through such slot together with the bleed-oil air. The panels have lateral passageways therethrough which may be formed in various manners, but in general are comprised of spaced vanes or louvers in a sheet. The particular form of the vanes or louvers and the resulting shape and size of passageways depends on the intended use and application of the device with respect to the type, size, percentage, etc. of the particulate matter desired to be removed by the device. Moreover, when a plurality of these V-shaped cells are positioned side-by-side in a single housing to achieve the desired volumetric capacity, the cleaned air flows out through outlets provided between the narrowed ends of the V-shaped cells. Therefore, it has been found advantageous for the tortuous passageways to also redirect the outlet air flow in a direction toward these outlets whereby substantial turbulence is avoided.

These many requirements to be accomplished by the elements of such inertial separating devices have dictated structures of complex configurations and constructions. For example, if it is desired that the lateral passageways through the panel be tortuous rather than a straight path and it is impossible to produce such passageways by merely providing louvers in a single sheet to form the panel. As a result it has been necessary to employ a multiplicity of specially formed blades or vanes appropriately spaced and mounted to provide the desired shape of passageway including re-directing the outlet air flow in the aforedescribed direction. Therefore, in prior inertial separating devices the construction and assembly of such vanes into a device entailed costly machine and manual operations.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide novel and improved elements and construction for inertial type dust separating devices wherein the many desirable characteristics of such devices are achieved and yet the material and assembly costs are minimized.

Another object of this device is to provide a readily and inexpensively constructed panel of nested blades for inertial type separating devices wherein the air flow passageways are not straight through such panel but rather are curved in the reverse direction from the direction of inlet air flow.

A further object of this invention is to provide a novel form of suitably shaped elongated blade having appropriate means for accurately spacing that blade from adjacent blades in an inertial type dust separating device to form accurately shaped and sized passageways between such blades. Still a further object of this invention is to, provide such a blade which may be readily joined to the other blades to form an integral panel unit.

Other and more detailed objects and advantages of this invention will appear from the following description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of an inertial type dust separating device employing a plurality of V-shaped cells positioned side-byside with such cells constructed in the manner of this invention.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of a single V-shaped cell for an inertial type dust separating device.

FIGURE 3 is an elevation view of a multiplicity of blades of this invention stacked in a fixture for forming a panel of the two converging panels of the V-shaped cell shown in FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is an elevation view similar to FIGURE 3 with the stacked blades compressed from their relationship shown in FIGURE 3 and illustrating the welding process for forming such stacked blades into an integral unit.

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional end view of some of the blades illustrated in FIGURE 3 taken substantially on the line 55 in FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the base or apex portion of the V-shaped cell taken substantially on the line 66 in FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 7 is an elevation view of a modified form of inertial type dust separating device employing the elements and manner of construction of this invention.

FIGURE 8 is a partial sectional view of the modified form of the device shown in FIGURE 7 taken substantially on the line 88 in FIGURE 7.

FIGURE 9 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the blades of the modified device of FIGURES 7 and 8.

FIGURES l and 11 are plan views, with portions removed, of the die-cut or blank shape of two embodiments of blades of the device of this invention before such blades are given their curved form.

FIGURE 12 is an exploded view of the components for constructing a modified form of V-shaped cell similar to that illustrated in FIGURE 2, but including central structural support members.

FIGURE 13 is a plan view of the modified construction of FIGURE 12 with one-half of the device shown in phantom lines for illustrating the symmetry of construction.

FIGURE 14 is a sectional elevation view of the modified construction of FIGURES 12 and 13 taken substantially on the line 14-14 in FIGURE 13.

Referring more particularly to FIGURE 1, an assembled inertial type dust separating device, generally designated 10, is illustrated as being comprised of ten separate V-shaped inertial separating cells, each generally designated 11, positioned in side-by-side relation within a housing 12. In an installation the device is positoned in the air or other gaseous fluid handling system with the face 13 of housing 12 forming the inlet to the device and the opposite face 14 forming the clean air outlet of the device 10. In this manner, the inlet and outlet directions of gaseous fluid flow are in substantially the same direction through the housing 12 as will appear more fully from the detailed description of cells 11 set forth below.

Each of the inertial type separating cells 11 mounted in device 10 is an integral unit adapted to function alone or in parallel with other cells as in the device 10. Each cell 11 includes a pair of major walls or panels, generally designated 15, positioned to converge toward each other in the direction toward the outlet thereby forming the referred to V-shape of the cell. The angle between the two panels 15, i.e., the degree of convergence, may be varied substantially depending on various factors such as the particular construction of panels 15 and the particular installation, but for the embodiment shown in FIGURES 1 through 6, an angle of 8 to 10 has been found preferable. The lateral ends of the cell 11 and also the ends of the two panels 15 are enclosed by end plates 16 to both confine the inlet gas fiow between the panels 15 and structurally support the panels 15. An open rectangular flange 17 is connected to the longitudinal ends of panels 15 and plates 16 and defines the inlet opening 18 of the cell 11. At the other longitudinal end of the cell a bleed-01f duct 19, often known as a dust bin, is connected to the ends of panels 15 and plates 16. One end 20 of duct 19 is closed and the other end 21 is open and provided with appropriate flanging for connecting to the housing 12 and/or appropriate manifolding.

Referring in further detail to FIGURE 6, the converging ends of the panels 15 are slightly spaced from each other and a bleed slot 22 is provided in the duct 19 between such panels for allowing the separated dust and bleed-01f air to pass into the duct 19. The details of and reasons for the exact construction and configuration of the panels 15 are hereinafter set forth but for an understanding at this point of the operation of cell 11, it is only necessary to note that panels 15 are provided with a multiplicity of lateral passageways 23 therethrough with the inner or inlet ends 24 of such passageways generally facing in the downstream direction of inlet air flow, i.e., the direction of arrows 25 in FIGURE 6. As is conventional with this type of device, the dust laden incoming air flows in through inlet opening 18 toward bleed slot 22 in the direction of arrows 25. Most of this air passes out through passageways 23 as clean air due to the inertia of the dust particles which prevents such particles from turning in the upstream direction into inlets 24 of the passageways 23. Therefore, the dust particles continue in the direction toward bleed slot 22 and are carried therethrough into duct 19 by a small proportion of the inlet air. When cells 11 are positioned side-by-side as in a device H), the clean air flow longitudinally outwardly in the space 26 between adjacent cells. The flow of air through a cell 11 or device 10 may be caused by forcing air therethrough by means of an upstream blower or by drawing the air therethrough by means of a blower positioned downstream of the cell or device. When the air is drawn therethrough, a separate means (such as another suction blower) must be used on the outlet end 21 of bleed-off duct 19 for causing and controlling the flow of bleef air. However, when an upstream blower forces air through the cell or device then such separate means may not be necessary and in fact the bleed flow may be controlled by a throttling orifice on the outlet of bleed-off duct 19.

In order to construct the panels 15 and have the necessary and most desirable characteristics of the passageways 23 therethrough, it is specifically contemplated by this invention to construct the panels 15 of a multiplicity of vanes or blades 30 appropriately assembled to form a passageway 23 between each pair of adjacent blades. The blades 30 are elongated and have a substantially U- shaped cross section comprised of a central curved portion 31 and a pair of straight skirt portions 32 extending from the curved portion. The skirt portions 32 diverge from each other at a preselected small angle suitable for achieving the desired blade characteristics and an angle of approximately 38 between the two skirt portions 32 has been found satisfactory. The skirt portions 32 extend tangentially from the curved portion 31 whereby the blade is of a smooth configuration to minimize the turbulence-generating configuration of the passageways 23. At the center and each end of each blade 30 the skirt portions 32 are provided with means for supporting and spacing each blade from the next adjacent blade and as shown in the drawings, these means may include an embossed spacer tab 33 for-med integrally from the material of a portion of each skirt portion 32 by deforming the material inwardly. Opposed spacer tabs 33 on the two skirt portions 32 extend substantially parallel to each other rather than diverging as do the skirt portions. The exposed end 34 of each spacer tab engages the outside surface of the next adjacent blade 30 to establish a predetermined center-to-center spacing or pitch between adjacent blades to form the passageways 23 between the blades, as shown in FIGURE 6, and along the blades between the spacer tabs. The spacer tabs 33 provide the structural support between blades to maintain the proper spacing and while central and end spacer tabs have been shown, more or fewer tabs may be provided on longer or shorter, respectively, blade or blades of modified construction.

The combination of the configurations of the curved portion 31, skirt portions 32 and spacer tabs 33 determine the size and configuration of the passageways 23 including the inlet opening 24 and outlet opening 35 of the passageway. Such size and configuration of passageways 23 in turn determines the important operational properties of the device such as: dust removal efiiciency, pressure drop required, tendency to clo etc. It is essential to the proper performance of the cell 11 in separating and preventing dust particles from passing through the passageways 23, or at least dust particles of such size I as are intended to be separated, that the passageways 23 be curved or tortuous rather than straight through the panel 15 and that such curvature be in the reversed direction from the incoming air. Further, in order to improve the operating characteristics of a cell 11 particularly when associated in side-by-side relation with other cells as in a device 10, it has been found extremely beneficial to redirect the clean air flowing out of passageways 23 in the direction of the clean air outlet of the device. The full importance of such an arrangement as accomplished by apparatus having an entirely different configuration is set forth in my copending patent application entitled Dust Separating Device, Ser. No. 226,705, filed Sept. 27, 1962 now US. Patent 3,237,386. Further, the size of inlet 24 and outlet 35 of passageway 23 has a sub stantial effect on the operation of the device. In particular, if the inlet or outlet are too small then it has been observed that there is a tendency for such small inlet or outlet to become clogged with very fine dust particles carried with the substantially clean air. Thus, although it is not essential, it is preferred for the most versatile blade shape to shorten or in effect trim the edge of the skirt portions 32 between the spacer tabs 33 as best illustrated by FIGURE 10. This effectively enlarges the inlet 24 and outlet 35 from that which would occur without such trimming and this is accomplished without changing the spacing between or pitch of the blades since the spacer tabs 33 are unaltered. For example, a highly satisfactory device has been constructed of blades of the shape of those shown in FIGURES 5 and 6 where in the pitch is approximately one-half inch and the inlet 24 and outlet 35 are each one-eighth of an inch. As a modification the skirt portion 32a may be left untrimmed on one side of a modified blade 30a as shown in FIGURE 11 to produce an asymmetrical blade. As with blades 30, the asymmetrical blades 30a are stacked to form a panel and the untrimmed skirt portion 32a of each blade is positioned on the same side of the panel. Such a panel of asymmetrical blades may be arranged for airflow through the panel in either direction depending on the particular application of the device. For example, it has been found that with the untrimmed skirt portions 32a on the outlet side of the panel, the outlet air is discharged in more nearly the longitudinal direction thereby making the panel particularly suitable for use in multiple V- shaped cell devices by minimizing the turbulence of the outlet air.

In order to assemble the preformed blades 30 into a unit such as panel for use in an inertial type dust separating device, an appropriate number of blades 30 are stacked in nesting relationship in a fixture 9 as shown in FIGURE 3. The fiixture 9 supports the blades 30 in the desired shape of the panel whether fiat, as shown in FIGURES 3, 4 and 5, or longitudinally curved for various modified devices. The spacer tabs 33 of each blade are laterally aligned with the corresponding spacer tabs on each of the other blades. Since the spacer tabs 33 of each blade have outer surfaces which are parallel and extend in the same longitudinal direction, the aligned corresponding spacer tabs of the aggregate of the blades comprise a series of fiat surfaces forming, in effect, longitudinally interrupted planes 36 at the center and both ends on each side of the stack of blades. For identification purposes these planes. 36 are hereinafter referred to as welding surfaces (the descriptiveness of such term will become apparent), although it is to be understood that every use of such term does not necessarily imply the presence or intended presence of a weld on such surface. The welding surfaces 36 are substantially flat and are only discontinuous at each blade for the small distance between the spacer tab end 34 of one blade and the beginning of the next spacer tab on the adjacent blade. Even this short distance is not in the form of a gap but rather is merely a small depression formed by the skirt portion 32 and the end 34 of the spacer tab. While still supported in the fixture 9, the stack of blades are longitudinally compressed to the desired longitudinal length of panel by any convenient means such as a press 8. This longitudinal compression forces each blade into more intimate and positive contact with each adjacent blade thereby causing a more uniform blade pitch with resultant more uniform passageways 23. While the amount of compression may vary extensively due to various factors such as the configuration and the materials of the blades, for the particular embodiment shown in the drawings a longitudinal compression of approximately 10% has been found to be highly satisfactory. While the stack of blades 30 are maintained in this longitudinally compressed condition, means are applied to the welding surfaces 36 for forming the blades into an assembled panel and, as shown in the drawings, these means may include a continuous head of weld 37 applied therealong. Since the welding surfaces 36 are relatively fiat and continuous it is relatively simple to automatically or manually apply the continuous head of weld 37. For structural strength of the panel it is preferred to apply a weld 37 at each welding surface 36. Moreover, it is preferred to provide a Weld 37 on one side of a panel directly opposite a weld 37 on the other side of the panel to prevent warping of the panel. As thus welded the blades 36 are formed into an integral rigid unit or panel which may be readily assembled into any desired form of inertial type dust separating device such as cell 11 by merely welding end plates 16, frame 17 and bleed-01f 19 to two such panels.

In FIGURES 12, 13 and 14 a modified construction of a V-shaped cell, generally designated 11b, is illustrated which is similar to the cell 11. A panel 15b is constructed in the same fashion as panel 15 heretofore described although one or more of the welds 37 may be omitted when such weld is applied during the final assembly procedure hereinafter described. An angle brace 40 is provided with a tapered flange 41 which is tapered at an angle equal to one-half of the desired included angle between the two panels 1517. A tapered end plate 16b is appropriately positioned on one lateral end of a panel 15b and a weld is applied at 42 for securing the plate and panel together. Next, the brace 40 is positioned with the tapered flange 41 engaging the center welding surface 36b and the other end of the brace engaging the center of end plate 16b. Welds are placed at 43 and 44 to secure the brace 40 to the panel 15b and the end plate 16b, respectively. An identical sub'assembly of a panel 15b, an end plate 16b, and a brace 40 is constructed and positioned in mating relation with the first such sub-assembly as shown in FIG- URE l3. Welds are then applied at 45 and 46 to secure each of the end plates 16b to the end of the panel 15b of the other sub-assembly. The two braces 40 meet at the center and welds 47 are applied to a depth that is practical to achieve to thereby join the two braces 40. An inlet frame and a bleed-off duct similar to frame 17 and duct 19 may then be appropriately mounted to complete the cell.

Referring now more particularly to FIGURES 7, 8 and 9, a cylindrically shaped modified form inertial type separating device, generally designated 59, is illustrated. The closed-end cylindrical housing 51 is provided with peripheral inlet openings 52 which are preferably in the form of louvers to direct the inlet gas or air into the housing in a substantially circumferential direction. A spiral shaped panel 53 extends around the inside of housing 51 and the distance between the panel and the inside of the housing continually diminishes in the direction of air fiow. The panel 53 may extend up to the inlet openings 52 or, as is preferred, a battle extension 54 may be provided to be certain that the incoming air is fiowing in the circumferential direction when the air first encounters the panel 53. A bleed-off duct 55 is provided at the downstream extremity of panel 53' for serving the same function as heretofore described with respect to bleed-off duct 19. A central axial outlet 56 is provided in housing 51 for the passage of clean air from the device 50. Panel 53 is constructed of a multiplicity of vanes or blades 300 which may be substantially identical to heretofore described blades 30 or 30a and in fact blades 30c are provided with one untrimmed skirt portion 32c the same as blade 30a of FIGURE 11. It is preferred, as shown in FIGURE 9, that the longer or untrimmed portion 320 be positioned on the outside of the curve of the panel 53 since the curvature of the panel tends to close-down the inner opening between blades and open-up the outer opening between blades. The blades 300 are provided with spacer tabs 330 to accomplish the spacing between blades and the mutual support of one blade on the next adjacent blade. Spacer tabs 33c will be provided on each end of each balde and whether additional such tabs are provided throughout the length of the blade depends on whether aditional structural support is deemed necessary as heretofore discussed. Again, the laterally aligned spacer tabs 330 of the aggregate of the blades form longitudinally interrupted planes or welding surfaces extending in the direction of air flow similar to heretofore described welding surfaces 36 except that since panel 53 is curved in the airflow direction the welding surfaces will be identically curved. To construct the panel 53 the multiplicity of blades 300 are stacked in a spiral fixture, appropriately compressed in the spiral longitudinal direction, and welds are applied to the plurality of spiral welding surfaces formed by the spacer tabs 330 similar to the manner of application of welds 37 heretofore described.

Thus, it will readily appear to those skilled in the art that numerous styles of inertial type dust separating devices may be readily constructed by stacking the desired number of symmetrical or asymmetrical blades 30 or 30a, respectively, in the appropriate configuration of a panel for such a device and then compressing and welding as needed to form an integral unit. The shape of such a panel is virtually unlimited by using this manner of construction without even requiring variation in the blade configuration.

Having fully described the present invention, it is to be understood that it is not to be limited to the specific details set forth, but is of the full scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A dust separating device comprising, a panel and wall means assembled to form an inlet passageway converging in a given direction with the panel extending generally in said given direction, said panel comprising a multiplicity of generally parallel and spaced blades of substantial length extending relatively perpendicular to said given direction, said spaced blades having lateral tortuous passageways therebetween for the passage of gas, each said blade having a central curved portion and integral skirt portions extending smoothly from each side of said curved portion and generally in said given direction, said skirt portions of each blade diverging from each other at a small angle and having a plurality of pairs of spacer tabs integrally formed therein at predetermined spaced locations along each blade with at least one pair of said spacer tabs located intermediately along said blade, each spacer tab comprising a short section of the skirt portion deformed inwardly therefrom without severing the section from the skirt portion and with said tab being substantially parallel to the plane of the panel, each said spacer tab having a portion engaging the next adjacent blade at an acute angle with the skirt portion of said next adjacent blade for establishing the spacing between blades and supporting each blade on each adjacent blade, each said spacer tab having an outer surface extending in substantially the plane of said panel for the aggregate of said outer surfaces of spacer tabs at each predetermined loction along the blades to form a welding plane, and a substantially continuous weld along at least one of said welding planes for retaining said blades in assembled relation.

2. A dust separating device comprising, means for confining the passage of inlet gas in a given curved direction, a curved panel extending generally in said given curved direction, said panel having a multiplicity of generally parallel and spaced elongated blades each positioned relatively perpendicular to said given curved direction, each said blade having a central portion and integral skirt portions extending from each side of said central portion and generally in said given curved direction, each said skirt portion having a plurality of spacer tabs integrally formed therein at predetermined spaced locations along each blade, each said spacer tab having a portion engaging the next adjacent blade for establishing the spacing between blades, each said spacer tab having an outer surface extending substantially tangentially to the said given curved direction for the aggregate of said outer surfaces of spacer tabsat a predetermined location along the blades to form a curved welding plane, and a substantially continuous weld along at least one of said curved we ding planes for retaining said blades in assembled relation.

3. A dust separating device comprising, a panel and wall means assembled to form an inlet passageway converging in a given direction with the panel extending generally in said given direction, said panel having a multiplicity of generally parallel and spaced blades of substantial length extending relatively perpendicular to said given direction, each said blade having a central portion and integral skirt portions extending from each side of said central portion and generally in said given direction, each said skirt portion having a plurality of spacer tabs integrally formed therein at predetermined spaced locations along each blade with at least one said spacer tab located intermediately along said skirt portion, each spacer tab comprising a short section of the skirt portion deformed inwardly therefrom without severing the section from the skirt portion and with said tab being substantially parallel to the plane of the panel, each said spacer tab having a portion engaging the next adjacent blade at an acute angle with the skirt portion of said next adjacent blade for establishing the spacing between blades and supporting each blade on each adjacent blade, each skirt portion on one side of said panel having a trimmed edge between said spacer tabs for the said spacer tabs on that side to protrude substantially beyond such trimmed edge, and a substantially continuous means extending along aligned spacer tabs and joined thereto for retaining said blades in assembled relation.

4. The combination of claim 3 wherein said panel is oriented with said trimmed edges of skirt portions adjacent the inlet passageway side of the panel.

5. A panel for use in an inertial type dust separating device comprising, a multiplicity of generally parallel and spaced blades, each said blade having a central portion and integral skirt portions extending in one general direction from each side of said central portion, said skirt portions of each blade diverging from each other at a small angle, each said skirt portion having a plurality of spacer tabs integrally formed therein at predetermined spaced locations along each blade with at least one said spacer tab located intermediately along said skirt portion, each spacer tab comprising a short section of the skirt portion deformed inwardly therefrom without severing the section from the skirt portion and with said tab being substantially parallel to the plane of the panel, said multiplicity of blades stacked with each said spacer tab portion engaging the next adjacent blade at an acute angle with the skirt portion of said next adjacent blade for establishing the spacing between blades, said stacked blades being in compressed relation to cause intimate contact between said spacer tab portions and said next adjacent blade, each said spacer tab having a fiat outer surface for the aggregate of aligned spacer tabs on said multiplicity of blades forming a welding plane, and a substantially continuous weld along at least one of said welding planes for retaining said blades in assembled relation.

6. A blade for stacking in nesting relation with other such blades to form a panel for an inertial type dust separating device comprising, a laterally curved central por- 9 tion and substantially straight skirt portions extending smoothly in each lateral direction from said central portion, each skirt portion having a plurality of spacer tabs integral therewith at spaced locations along the blade, said skirt portions diverging from each other at a small angle, and each said spacer tabs having a terminal portion for engaging a like blade and spacing the two blades.

7. A blade for stacking in like orientation and parallel relation with other such blades to form a panel for an inertial type dust separating device comprising, an elongated sheet element having a laterally curved central portion and substantially straight skirt portions extending smoothly in each lateral direction from said central portion, said skirt portions diverging from each other at a small angle, each skirt portion having a plurality of spacer tabs integral therewith at predetermined spaced locations along the blade, said spacer tabs comprised of a section of the skirt portion deformed inwardly of said skirt portions without severing from said skirt portion and substantially parallel to each other and the length of the blade, and each of said spacer tabs having a terminal portion for angularly engaging the skirt portion of a like blade similarly oriented and spacing the central portions and skirt portions of the two blades.

8. A blade for stacking in like orientation and parallel relation with other such blades to form a panel for an inertial type dust separating device comprising, an elongated sheet element having a laterally curved central portion and substantially straight skirt portions extending smoothly in one direction from each lateral extremity of said central portion, said skirt portions diverging from each other at a small angle, each skirt portion having a plurality of spacer tabs integral therewith at predetermined spaced locations longitudinally along the blade, said spaced tabs co-mprised of a section of the skirt portion deformed inwardly of said skirt portions without severing the section from said skirt portion and substantially parallel to each other and the length of the blade, each said skirt portion having a trimmed edge between said spacer tabs for said spacer tabs to protrude substantially beyond such trimmed edge, and each of said spacer tabs having a terminal portion for angularly engaging the skirt portion of a like blade similarly oriented and spacing the central portions and skirt portions of the two blades.

9. A dust separating device comprising, a pair of panels spaced from and converging toward each other in a given longitudinal direction coincident with the direction of incoming gas, longitudinal end plates connecting and enclosing the ends of the two panels, each said panel having a multiplicity of generally parallel and spaced blades extending relatively perpendicular to said given direction, each said blade having a central portion and integral skirt portions extending from each side of said central portion and generally in said given direction, said r skirt portions of each blade diverging from: each other at a small angle, each said skirt portion having a plurality of spacer tabs integrally formed therein at spaced locations along each blade with at least one said spacer tab located intermediately along said blade, each spacer tab comprising a short section of the skirt portion deformed inwardly therefrom without severing the section from the skirt portion and with said tab being substantially parallel to the plane' of that panel, each said spacer tab having a portion engaging the next adjacent blade at an acute angle with the skirt portion of said next adjacent blade for establishing the spacing between blades and supporting each blade on each adjacent blade, said spacer tabs having flat outer surfaces for aligned spacer tabs of separate blades forming a welding plane, and a substantially continuous means extending longitudinally along aligned spacer tabs and joined thereto for retaining said blades in assembled relation.

10. A dust separating device comprising, a pair of panels spaced from and converging toward each other in a given longitudinal direction coincident with the direction of incoming gas, longitudinal end plates connecting and enclosing the ends of the two panels, a pair of angle braces positioned between said two panels and extending longitudinally, each angle brace comprised of a pair of flat sections integrally joined at a right angle and having one longitudinal edge connected to one of said end plates and the other longitudinal edge tapered and connected to one said panel at the lateral center, said angle braces having longitudinal central corners adjacent each other, weld means joining said central corners, each said panel having a multiplicity of generally parallel and spaced blades extending relatively perpendicular to said given direction, each said blade having a central portion and integral skirt portions extending from each side of said central portion and generally in said given direction, said skirt portions of each blade diverging from each other at a small angle, each said skirt portion having a plurality of spacer tabs integrally formed therein at predetermined spaced locations along each blade with at least one said spacer tab located at said lateral center of the panel on each blade, each spacer tab comprising a shortsection of the skirt portion deformed inwardly therefrom without severing the section from the skirt portion and with said tab being substantially parallel to the plane of that panel, each said spacer tab having a portion engaging the next adjacent blade at an acute angle with the skirt portion of said next adjacent blade for establishing the spacing between blades and supporting each blade on each adjacent blade, and a substantially continuous means extending longitudinally along aligned spacer tabs and joined thereto for retaining said blades in assembled relation.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 366,169 7/1887 Hyatt. 2,087,789 7/1937 Allardice. 2,357,734 9/1944 Haber, -442 3,155,474 11/ 1964 Sexton 55-442 3,237,386 3/1966 Farr et a1 55-443 FOREIGN PATENTS 748,209 4/ 1933 France. 662,072 11/1951 Great Britain.

HARRY B. THORNTON, Primary Examiner. B. NOZICK, Assistant Examiner. 

